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SCENE
GENRE
GRAPHICS
SOUND
PLAYABILITY
VALUE
OPINION



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TOP GUN

Developer

Microprose

Options

Distributer

1 Player

Game Type

Flight shoot-em-up

Mem. Card

Review Date

July 1996

Setting the Scene

When it comes to Flight Simulations, Microprose have proved time and time again that "nobody does it better!", so I was looking forward to playing this game long before it finally emerged.

Genre

Back in the eighties the movie that has spawned this game was one of the most popular of the time. Sure the plot was predictable: Young up and coming pilot tries to be the best of the best while trying to forget the death of his best friend and live up to the reputation of his father (a former ace pilot), oh yeah and at the same time he is trying to score with his female tactical flight instructor. The flight sequences were absolutely amazing, partnered with some of the best movie soundtracks to date and the biggest acting names of the time, made this movie a sure fire hit, which of course it was!

Graphics

The producers of this game seem to have spent some of their former youth playing "Afterburner" in the arcades. The look and feel of this game is very similar. The graphics move with speed and ease during the flight sequences. FMV sections in-between each mission are good and try hard to add to the atmosphere of the game. As you progress through the missions it becomes very evident that there is a distinct lack of variety in the ground scenery, many of the missions feature the same landscape, even though they are supposed to be based in different places around the globe. Bearing in mind the storage capacity of the C.D (650MB), I think that more time could have been spent on this area.

Sounds and Effects

Both the music and sound effects are satisfactory for this type of game, but hardly "ground-braking" in any particular area.

Playability

After completing flight school, you are given real missions set in Cuba and Korea. The mission can take place on both land and sea. Additional weapons are awarded as you progress through the scenarios. The more damage that you take during the missions, the harder it becomes to control your craft.

If you are a die-hard flight simulation fan then you will most likely hate this game. Yet again it has been assumed that all people who like to play console games don't have the necessary brainpower to handle a "proper" simulation and so what we have here is little more that a 3D shoot-em-up which happens to be based around aircraft rather than tanks or space ships. The variety within this game is negligible, as is the skill needed to pilot your aircraft. This has about the same long term appeal as a game of space invaders, which may have been fine 15 years ago, but not any more. Software producers must start to produce games that have some form of longevity designed into them, as it stands you may regret buying this game a couple of weeks after purchasing it!

Value for Money

More of a shoot-em-up than a flight simulation. The levels within this game are very similar. Sound and music is adequate, but nothing special. Similar in style and presentation to the old coin-op "After-burner".

Opinion

JIM

GRAPHICS:

Average

If you love flight simulations then you will probably hate this, however as a shoot-em-up this game provides good short-term entertainment, if not value for money.

SOUND:

Average

PLAYABILITY:

Good

VALUE:

Good

OVERALL
7/10

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